The only piece of baggage you can't leave behind when you move abroad is yourself. But if you do have a real desire to change, reinvent, grow, progress, retry your life, moving can help make it possible.

We hear this question more and more, especially since the bottom fell out of the U.S. real estate market. To paraphrase: 'With the price of real estate so low in the U.S. right now, why would anyone move abroad?' Fair question.

"Cheap" should never be the only factor to consider when it comes to something as important as choosing where to spend your time. After all, you've got to live in the place. And it's important to like where you live.

There are some local peculiarities, but for the most part, dental care from a qualified professional in any large metropolitan center in Latin America isn't much different from in the States -- except for the price.

When we got married almost 15 years ago, we wanted to make it something special. So we did a little research and discovered that the Don Carlos Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica, actually offered wedding packages... including music and champagne! We couldn't resist.

Retirement in the States is getting more expensive all the time. But in the right places overseas, you can upgrade your lifestyle and live better than you can at home for a small fraction of the price.

If you're willing to live like the locals, among the locals, shopping where the locals shop, eating where the locals eat, and speaking whatever language the locals speak, you can live well on a limited budget in Ecuador and Nicaragua.